title: DNA damage in hair root cells as a biomarker for gamma ray exposure.
abstract: The purpose of the present research is to examine whether human hair root cells can be used for dose assessment after in vitro exposure to ionizing radiation. Hair root samples plucked from random head regions were collected from 5 healthy human subjects. Some of these hair samples were used as control and some were irradiated with 0.5-5Gy of gamma ray using a Cs-137 gamma irradiator at a dose rate of 0.14Gy/s. DNA damage (single-strand breaks) was determined in hair root cells of these samples using the comet assay technique. The comet assay parameters, tail length (TL) and tail moment (TM), showed a significant increase (p<.05) in single-strand DNA breaks in hair roots cells of the exposed samples compared to control. A linear dose-effect relationship was observed when tail moment or tail length was plotted against the log of the radiation dose. This research suggests a possible use of human hair root cell DNA damage as a biomarker especially for low dose radiation.
authors.affiliation: Turkish Atomic Energy Authority, Sarayköy Nuclear Research and Training Center, 06983 Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: stepe06@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tepe Çam
authors.forename: Nesrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Seyhan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020552:Comet Assay; D053904:DNA Breaks, Single-Stranded / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005260:Female; D005720:Gamma Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003037:Cobalt Radioisotopes
keywords: Comet assay; DNA damage; Gamma ray; Hair root cells; Radiation biomarker